Tag Archives: performance anxiety

“I don’t want to play, what if I lose?”

Posted on November 2, 2019 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, Preparing for Pressure

The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
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“I don’t want to play, what if I lose?”

 

“Devalue the event to deflate the anxiety.”

A common outcome-oriented mindset is that each tournament is a life or death crisis. This negative frame of mind is counterproductive and incredibly stressful. It would be wise to educate the athlete and their entourage that tournament play is only an information-gathering mission. Each match should be analyzed to determine why they won points or lost points as a result of their competitive decisions. The objective is simple, quantify the data and learn from it.

Competition should be seen as a fun challenge, not intensely difficult or dangerous.

 

Destress the situation by decompressing the athlete.

Performance Anxiety Symptoms And Causes – Part 5

Posted on January 5, 2019 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most online retailers!  Click Here to Order

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Confidence Is Nurtured by Positive Self Talk

Encourage your athlete to think positively, such as, I deserve my success, I have trained for it, I am a problem solver, I am resilient, I will do my best and/or I can.  A positive attitude is a critical first step when tackling performance anxiety issues. Sadly, I’ve found that many athletes are actually nurtured pessimism. This happens when players are raised by parents or trained by coaches that see the negatives in every situation- which is actually programming pessimism unknowingly to their children. Ironically, the very same parents and coaches often report, “My kids are so negative!”

If the family environment is becoming a bit too negative, a fun game to play for the entire family is an old psychology exercise called the “Flip It” game. Trust me, it could change your lives.

 

Hold a family meeting and introduce a one week exercise. Everyone is encouraged to say “Flip It” whenever they witness another family member saying something pessimistic or acting negatively. Athlete example, “I don’t want to eat this healthy stuff.”- FLIP IT, “I hate this drill”-FLIP IT, “It’s too early…I don’t want to go for a run before school.” FLIP IT! Parental example “Yea, he won 6-2, 6-4 but he should have won 0-0”, -FLIP IT!  This exercise spotlights the negative behavior. It makes the negatron aware of his/her reoccurring pessimism and encourages optimism in a light-hearted, non-threatening way.

 

“Learning to spot and flip pessimism and replace it with optimism is presenting the moral code needed to champion tennis and life.”

Solutions to Popular Performance Anxieties

Posted on April 23, 2018 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most online retailers!  Click Here to Order

 

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Common Performance Anxieties and their Solutions

 

Fear of Performing in Front of People

Evan: It’s really the fear of not being good enough, wouldn’t you say? The fear of letting friends and family down and giving the naysayers proof that they’re right. It’s more pressure to play to a crowd.

Jarrod: I love playing in front of people. I actually focus better because I want to show them how good I am. My brother is scared of center court… I love it!

Frank’s Tip: Play with fear as the dominant force and fear owns you. You can accept that fear is present but then choose to ignore it. View every spectator as envious of you. You’re on center stage. You’re living their dream. Accept imperfections and enjoy the fact that so many people respect the skills you’ve achieved.

 

Lack of Confidence

Evan: It’s amazing how much more confidence I have in my game with my new found preparation. I believe in my skills because my skills are tested every day. I’m courageous enough to trust my training and it feels good.

Jarrod: I avoid doing things that I’m not good at. I want to win at everything, so why would I try to do something I’m not good at? If it risks me looking bad…I avoid it, I’m not stupid!

Frank’s Tip: Confidence is built upon accountability. It’s the athlete’s daily, consistent accomplishments that increase their trust in their skills. Utilizing daily journals is a great accountability tool used to monitor daily accomplishments.

 

More Common Performance Anxieties and their Solutions

Posted on April 17, 2018 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most online retailers!  Click Here to Order

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Common Performance Anxieties and their Solutions

 

Problem Solving

Evan: I view matches as information gathering and problem-solving expeditions. I am constantly monitoring my own game as well as my opponent’s game. This includes techniques, athleticism, mental and emotional issues. I also pay close attention to the weather conditions because it may affect my decision making.

Jarrod: Yeah… I don’t stress about defining problems or working on solutions in practice. I’m just good at solving problems. I’m naturally awesome.

Frank’s Tip: Coaches and parents shouldn’t tell the student the problem. They should ASK the student “What is the problem? What is the solution?”  This encourages accountability and strengthens emotional aptitude.

 

The Wandering Mind

Evan: I apply the TV channel analogy you taught us. Each state of mind is like a different TV channel. In competition when I’m bored or scared, I choose to remain on my “performance script” TV channel. Controlling my focus allows me to stay on script without drama. I know that choosing to flip to other channels in competition due to under and over arousal complicates matters. So, if I do briefly drift away from my script, I’m trained to quickly return to my performance frame of mind.

Jarrod: Um, like… I don’t see the connection. Yeah, my mind wanders in and out of my performance frame of mind at times… But it wanders because the opponents are no good. I mean I can focus when I have to… I guess.

Frank’s Tip: The first question to ask an athlete with a wandering mind is, “What is pulling them off script? Is it an internal or external stimulus?” Internal distractions include thoughts such a negative outcome or physiological sensation such as a psychosomatic injury brought about by stress. External distractions include the elements, competitors, spectators, etc. While both internal and external stimuli may impede performance, it is essential to identify the cause of distraction in order to implement the proper solution.